Surat: The city’s first Government Arts, Commerce and Science College (GACS) in Limbayat is finally set to get its own permanent campus, nearly four years after it began functioning. Until now, the college has been operating from a municipal school.The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has identified 31,415 sq m of land in the Dindoli area for development of the college campus. The land, earlier reserved for a civic project, is now proposed to be handed over to the state government for the college.In exchange, SMC has sought three government-owned plots with a combined area of 27,208 sq m. These include an 18,867 sq m plot in Sultanabad Bhimpor, a 7,273 sq m plot in Bhatha, and a 1,068 sq m plot in Bamroli.Officials said that although the total area of the plots sought in return is smaller, their market value is comparable to the land being provided by SMC. “Area-wise, the plots are smaller than the land being given, but the value is almost the same,” said an official.According to officials, the Dindoli land is valued at around Rs 74,800 per sq m, while the government plots range between Rs 75,500 and Rs 1.14 lakh per sq m.A full-fledged campus for the Limbayat college has been a long-pending demand of students and local residents, raised repeatedly through representations over the years.In 2022, along with GACS Limbayat, the government also started a Government Science College (GSC) in Varachha. Prior to the launch of these two institutions, Surat did not have any government arts, commerce, or science college.Although grant-in-aid colleges have long operated in the city, many grant-in-aid courses are gradually being replaced by self-financed programmes, increasing the demand for affordable government-run higher education.Land for the Government Science College in Varachha was allotted near Laskana a few months ago, and construction work has already begun. Like GACS Limbayat, the Varachha college is also currently operating from a municipal school.
